


Dreams

by KittyBandit



Category: D.Gray-man
Genre: Angst, Canon Compliant, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-14
Updated: 2018-02-14
Packaged: 2019-03-18 15:18:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,243
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13684329
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KittyBandit/pseuds/KittyBandit
Summary: Allen wakes up from an unpleasant dream and takes a walk to clear his head. Instead, he finds Lavi.





	Dreams

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Irisinally](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Irisinally/gifts).



> Happy Valentine's Day Whitesky1999! I'm your secret valentine for the DGM Valentine's Gift Exchange! Hope you like this little bit of Laven. :3c

Allen woke with a gasp, cold sweat on his brow and a storm waging in his chest. It pinched tight, anxiety and fear yanking him from sleep with a sharp jolt. He sat up in bed, pitch black surroundings closing in on him, suffocating. He still felt the hands on him in the dream, pain remembered, and an ache so deep he felt it in his bones. With a rush of adrenaline, he tugged his legs free of the bedsheets, bolted from the bed, and pulled the curtains back from the window. The moon shone brightly in the sky, illuminating the bedroom in its soft light as Allen fought to catch his breath. 

The nightmare had felt real, and though he couldn’t recall it as more than hazy images and feelings now, it still shook him to his core. His body trembled as he supported his weight against the window ledge, chest heaving up and down as he tried to slow his breathing. He couldn’t stay here—not while he felt like the darkness was going to cave in around him. 

When his legs stopped feeling like jelly, he pulled on his clothes and shoes with sweaty, shaking hands, then headed into the corridor. 

The halls of the Black Order were empty at such a late hour, and Allen wandered them with the grace of zombie, fumbling around on half-numb legs as he tried to shake the remnants of his nightmare. Bleary-eyed and exhausted, he turned himself around in the dark corridors so many times that he was certain he’d lost his way—only to find two large French doors, ajar as light spilled through the cracks. 

Allen paused, blinking away the sleep from his eyes as he entered the room. It was only after he’d entered that he’d realized he was in the library. All the lights were still on, and books were strewn over tables. He took a few steps into the room, looking around to see why no one had turned out the lights, when he spotted a familiar face. Lavi sat at the largest table in the library, surrounded by books and hunched over a large text. He was so focused on his work that he didn’t notice Allen had entered.

“What are you still doing up?” Allen asked, stopping just next to Lavi. He looked down at the book in front of him, but the script was nearly illegible. 

“I’d ask you the same thing,” Lavi replied, leaning back in his chair. He grinned up at Allen, the lazy, tired smile on his face already easing the pain in Allen’s chest. 

Having his question turned back on him, Allen shrugged, hoping to look more nonchalant that he felt. “Couldn’t sleep. Figured I would walk around a bit to wear myself out.” 

Lavi chuckled, turning back to his text. “You could try some warm milk, or herbal tea? I know Miranda has some in the kitchens. She uses it when her insomnia kicks in.” 

Nodding, Allen considered it, still hovering close to Lavi. “I could grab a midnight snack, too. I’m sure Jerry has some leftovers I can snatch up.” He looked down at Lavi’s book again, feeling that tug in his chest. Food sounded amazing, but something pulled at the back of his mind as he watched Lavi work. “Actually… Do you mind if I stay here for a bit? I could, ah… use the company.”

Lavi paused again, returning his gaze to Allen. His green eye scanned over his face, a hint of concern creasing between his brows before he answered. “I don’t mind at all, but I can’t guarantee I’ll be much fun. Reading through these old texts isn’t exactly high entertainment.” 

Pulling out a free chair and sitting down, Allen managed a soft smile. “I don’t mind. You can keep working. I just don’t feel like being alone at the moment.” 

“Would that happen to have anything to do with the reason you can’t sleep?” Lavi quirked an eyebrow at Allen as he ran a finger over the page of his open book. 

Allen colored and looked away, silently cursing how obvious he was. He swallowed at the lump in his throat, keeping his gaze away from Lavi’s. The redhead was too good at reading him. “Maybe a little.” 

There was a pause, the large library devoid of any sound as Allen averted his silver eyes. When he shifted, Allen felt a hand in his hair, inkstained fingers gently running through his white locks. 

“Feel free to stick around, Beansprout,” Lavi said, his voice dipping into a mischievous tone as he used Allen’s dreaded nickname. “I wouldn’t mind the company, either.” 

Allen turned back to him, a frown twitching on his lips. “It’s Allen.” Normally, he’d pull free of Lavi’s teasing touch, but something about the way the redhead’s fingers slid through his hair gave him pause. He liked it—the soft tingle that slid down his neck and spine, pleasant and comforting.

He crossed his arms, resting them on the table next to a pile of books, before he spoke again. “What are you working on, anyway?”

Lavi withdrew his hand and turned back to the text laid out in front of him. “Trying to transcribe this book. The ink is smudged badly and I can hardly make out the words, but Bookman insists on me completing it.” 

Allen twisted his head to the side, looking over at the pages and frowning. “It looks like chicken scratches to me. Can’t you just ask him for a different task?”

“And admit defeat? No way! Besides, I can do it—even if this budding migraine at the base of my skull says otherwise.” 

Allen smiled, lips quirked softly upward as he turned his gaze back to Lavi. “Sounds like you could use sleep more than me.” 

Lavi shrugged, giving Allen a charmingly confident smirk as he turned the page of the book. “Probably. But that won’t get this assignment done any faster.” 

They stared at each other for a moment, the silence of the library echoing between them, before Lavi broke his gaze. “Why don’t you get some rest, Al? You look like you could use it.” 

Allen couldn’t argue, and it was obvious that Lavi saw through his half-hearted attempt to pretend nothing was bothering him. With a sigh, he pulled his chair closer to the table and settled back into his earlier position—head resting on crossed arms. He faced Lavi, his right eye half-lidded as he watched him return to his work. The quill scratched over parchment, the soft sound filling the otherwise silent room. He smelled the ink and the dust clinging to the books that surrounded them. It was quiet, comforting, and as his breathing evened out, he closed his eyes and fell asleep. 

 

xXxXxXx

 

He felt warm—warm and weightless. 

Allen cracked open his eyes, vision blurry in the darkened room. Hadn’t he fallen asleep in the library? Where was he…?

As he stirred, the arms around him tightened, and Allen felt himself carefully placed on a soft surface. He groaned as the warmth surrounding him receded, and an amused chuckle greeted his ears. 

“Easy there, Al.” 

He recognized Lavi’s voice instantly, and his hand tightened in the front of the redhead’s shirt. “Lavi?” he mumbled, his eyes unfocused in the dark. 

“Shh…” Lavi’s fingers brushed the hair from his face, warm against Allen’s chilled skin.

“Where—” Allen cut himself off, sighing as his mind began to catch up with his body. He was still groggy, but waking up quickly. 

“Your room. I didn’t want you to get a crick in your neck from sleeping at the table.” 

Allen still couldn’t see the redhead well, and kept his fingers tight in the folds of his shirt. He sat up, disoriented from being moved in his sleep. It didn’t help that Lavi was still touching him, a hand on his shoulder to steady his swaying body.  So warm . “You didn’t have to.” 

“No, but I know from experience that it’s not fun to sleep at that table for too long. I’m lucky I don’t have a permanent twist in my spine from it.” 

Allen smiled, even though Lavi couldn’t see it. “Thank you.” 

“It’s no prob, Al.” There was a beat, a measured silence before Lavi began to pull away. “I should, ah, get back to work, though. I still have a few things to do.”

Allen stiffened, tightening his fingers in Lavi’s shirt. “Do… Do you have to go?”

It was selfish, Allen realized, to beg for more of Lavi’s time when he had things to do. But his nightmare from earlier still lingered in the back of his mind, and there was something deeply comforting about having Lavi’s presence close by. He doubted he would sleep if the redhead left. His fingers gripped the folds of Lavi’s shirt, ever so gently tugging him closer. 

Lavi hesitated. He hadn’t pulled away from Allen’s grasp, but he didn’t let Allen tug him closer, either. “…Allen.”

Allen wished he could see Lavi’s face in that moment. His sounded nervous—pained even. None of the trademark teasing that Allen had come to expect from the redhead could be heard. 

“You don’t have to,” Allen said, reluctantly easing his fingers free of Lavi’s shirt. “It was just… nice. To not fall asleep alone, I mean.” 

Silence filled the scarce few inches between them, and Allen was starting to hate the sound of it. After a moment, Lavi shifted his weight, a resigned sigh passing his lips. “You’re gonna be the death of me,” he whispered, just loud enough that Allen caught the faint words. Lavi shuffled, and Allen felt a weight pressing down on the edge of his bed. He slid closer to the wall as Lavi joined him under the blankets.

Allen wasn’t as comfortable as he could’ve been, still in his clothes from that day, but as Lavi came to rest next to him in bed, a flush stained his cheeks. They settled against the bedding, blankets curling around their shoulders and pillows under their heads. He heard Lavi sigh in the dark, his body relaxing next to Allen’s as they lay side-by-side in the bed. 

“Thank you,” Allen murmured, curling closer to Lavi. He felt the heat radiating off his body, the comforting warmth helping him relax.

“No worries, Al,” Lavi replied, his voice low and soft as he turned to speak. “But since I’m here, do you want to tell me what’s got you so spooked that you need help getting to sleep?”

Allen pressed his lips together in a tight line, closing his eyes as he pressed the side of his face into the pillow. “…Just a dream,” he admitted, the words almost lost between them for how softly he whispered them. 

“Seems like an awful lot of trouble for just a dream,” Lavi replied, his voice soft and smooth. 

Allen’s hand tightened in the blankets. He didn’t speak for a moment, Lavi’s precise prodding reminding him of wounds he’d rather ignore. The pain lingered in his heart, gripping like a vice and stealing his breath away as he recalled the nightmare, the memories of harder times. 

When Allen didn’t reply, he felt a hand in his hair. Lavi stroked the silky strands as he had in the library hours ago, and Allen felt the tension release from his body. “It’s up to you if you want to talk about it,” Lavi said, fingers still trailing through his hair. “I heard that if you tell someone about a bad dream you had, it won’t come true.”

A half-hearted chuckle made its way past Allen’s lips. “What if it’s a good dream?”

“Then you should keep it secret so it comes true.” Lavi leaned in closer, and Allen could hear the smile growing on his face in his next words. “I’m just waiting for that dream where I became the world’s most eligible bachelor to finally happen.” 

Allen snickered. “Lavi, you just told it to me. Now it won’t happen.” 

“Shit!” Lavi grumbled, smacking a hand over his forehead. “Well, there goes that dream.” 

“You’re ridiculous,” Allen said, trying to keep himself from laughing.

Lavi grinned, his hand smoothing down the side of Allen’s face to cup his cheek. “Maybe a little.” 

As his laughter subsided, Allen met Lavi’s gaze in the dark. Moonlight spilled in through the window, and he could just make out the curve of his lips—sweet and charming. He reached out, fingers tracing along the edge of his eyepatch before slipping down to tug at the collar of his shirt. “That’s all right. I kinda like it.” 

“Anything to make you smile, Al,” Lavi admitted, his grin softening as they stared back at each other. 

Lavi’s fingers smoothed over Allen’s cheeks, his hair, leaving a pleasant tingle to crawl up his spine. He smiled back at the redhead, heart fluttering in his chest. “Lavi?” he whispered, nervousness trembling in his fingers. 

“Hm?” the redhead mumbled back. 

Steeling his nerves, Allen leaned in and pressed his lips to Lavi’s. The kiss was soft and chaste, lasting only a couple seconds before he pulled back once more. His cheeks stained red as he looked back at Lavi. “Thanks,” Allen said, voice catching in his throat. “…for helping me feel better.” 

A stupid grin spread over Lavi’s face, his teeth digging into his lower lip. “Anytime, Al. Anytime.” 


End file.
